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Women's Softball Cuts Its Teeth by Dawn Sweeney '02
The crack of the bat. The sharp, sweet smell of cut grass. With the sun on their faces, the nine women run off the field at the end of the game. Wait just a minute! This is Oberlin. Women on the field, with a bat? What's going on? For the first time, Oberlin has a women's varsity softball team. Jami Silver '00 was one of the driving forces behind the team's development. Silver, who started playing softball at seven years old and continued through her senior year of high school in Farmington, Connecticut, had hoped to continue in college. When she arrived at Oberlin, she was disappointed to learn that the sport was not offered. She kept up her skills by coaching the team at Oberlin High School. She was joined in her coaching duties during her sophomore year by Sarah Krier '00, another softball fan who had played the game from the time she was eight through her sophomore year of high school. Even though the two women enjoyed coaching, they longed to swing the bat again themselves. They discussed their prospects with then Athletic Director Don Hunsinger, who encouraged them to form a women's softball team at the club level. Silver and Krier devoted their junior year to building the club team. They had to split their efforts, since Silver studied abroad during the fall semester and Krier during the spring semester. Then, with the assistance of current Athletic Director Mike Muska -- as well as Assistant Director of the Student Union Chris Baymiller and Professor of History and Athletics Committee member Heather Hogan -- they presented their proposal for a varsity-status women's softball team to the General Faculty. The proposal was approved. Jane Wildman, coach of the women's varsity soccer team, was chosen as head coach for the fledgling team, with Joanna Wells as her assistant. No stranger to softball, Wildman played the sport as a child and continued at the club level at Denison University. Her first coaching job was an assistant coach position at Muskingum College, where she helped take the team to the Division III national championships. Starting a varsity team from scratch is a daunting task, but Wildman is enthusiastic. "Coaching a team that's established versus coaching a team that's brand new... they're probably polar opposites," she said. "There are a lot of challenges involved in coaching a new team. On the downside, it can be tough because there are many obstacles. We have nothing established -- we're doing everything for the first time. And we've got fewer players because it's a brand-new team. On the positive side, you don't have any previous coaches, you don't have someone directly before you saying things or creating habits that you don't agree with. And there's a flip side to having a smaller team -- the team is more close-knit and everyone contributes." Wildman said it was important to set a standard for all potential players during this first season. She expects her players to commit themselves to the team for the entire season, "from day one to the end, be it our last game or the Division III Nationals." In the future, when she has more players, she hopes to create some in-team competitiveness. Recruiting may help with that. Wildman and Wells expect to spend the post-season scouting the local talent and contacting out-of-state talent. The team completed the season with a 3-15 record. Silver assessed the season's outcome in a realistic way. "In the North Coast Athletic Conference, we compete with schools that have had established teams for as many as 11 years. But we kept a positive outlook, stayed focused, played our best, and were aggressive -- we showed that Oberlin sports can be competitive." Dawn Sweeney '02 is a member of the inaugural women's varsity softball team. |
